


Man's Best Friend

by thewightknight



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Gen, Pet Adoption, that au where venom is a dog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-08-01 04:37:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16277951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/pseuds/thewightknight
Summary: Eddie missed having someone to curl up on the sofa with him. He missed having someone sleeping in bed next to him. He needed someone new in his life. But he was a hot mess and he wasn't over Anne, so trying to date anyone else was out of the question. Luckily, he'd thought of a solution.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't help it - I kept thinking all through the movie about[ how much Tom Hardy loves dogs](https://thewightknight.tumblr.com/post/179091040843/mishasminions-same-tbh) and how Eddie and Venom's interactions were so much like training a very large, overenthusiastic puppy.
> 
> I'm not quite sure where this will go, but I've got another chapter or two outlined.

“Look out!”

“He’s loose!”

The words barely registered before a cannonball of black furry muscle hit Eddie. Unprepared for the impact, he stumbled backwards, landing on his back on the cement floor of the kennel.

“Oh my god. Are you okay?”

He seemed to be okay. His head hadn’t hit the floor. He’d have a few bruises probably, but he’d gotten worse on numerous occasions when he’d spilled his bike. He started to reassure the pound staff that he wasn’t hurt and it was at that precise moment that the black menace sitting his chest decided to see if his face tasted good. “Aaaaargh!” he gurgled as the dog’s tongue slid along his cheek and into his mouth. He swore he felt it tickle his tonsils.

One of the volunteers let loose with a nervous giggle as she approached, a collar and leash in her hands.

“I’m so sorry. He’s on his way to be euthanized, but he managed to slip his collar.” When she approached the dog began to growl, a deep rumble that Eddie felt through his bones all the way down to his toes.

“Hey now, knock that off,” he admonished the dog, giving it a tap on the nose. The dog grunted in surprise, staring down at him, and he heard a combined intake of breath from all the volunteers. The growling subsided, but that was almost a shame, because the dog started licking him again.

“Oh god, that’s disgusting. Knock it off.”

“Sir, I need you to hold still. He’s going to try to bite you any second now.” The volunteer holding the collar and leash was inching forward as she spoke. She got about a foot closer before the dog noticed and started growling again.

“Hey, just toss it over, why don’t you?” Eddie said. She complied, and he managed to undo the collar between licks. “Okay, buddy, how about you let me up now?” The dog didn’t budge so he shoved. There was another round of gasps as he managed to manhandle the dog off his chest and onto the floor. When he sat up the dog climbed into his lap and resumed slobbering all over his face.

“So, it looks like you want to be my dog, huh?” he said as he fastened the collar around the dog’s neck.

“You don’t want that dog, sir. Really you don’t. He’s a menace. He’s bitten everyone around here at least once and he’s only been here two days.”

“Not biting now, is he?” The dog did have really big teeth, he couldn’t help but notice. They stuck out past his jowls. He had huge eyes too, that looked like they’d pop out of his head if he got too excited. In contrast, the beast had tiny ears, comically so, compared to how big the rest of him was. The volunteer was still babbling at him, but he wasn’t listening.

“You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” he crooned, reaching up to scratch behind the dog’s ear. “Say, what’s his name?”

“Venom.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Well, shit.”

He hadn’t really planned this out well, Eddie thought, as he stared at his bike, and then down at the dog. Well, the puppy, the shelter folks had told him. Estimated at about eight or nine months, according to the paperwork the volunteer had walked him through. He’d had a vague notion of getting a sidecar eventually when the idea of getting a dog had popped into his head, but here he’d gone and gotten the dog first, and there was no way he could wrangle this overenthusiastic mutt onto his bike and get them both home safely.

“Oh, well. It’s only four miles, buddy.” Four miles of hills. “Welcome to San Francisco.”

The volunteer had demonstrated how to pass the leash behind his back and lean back into it, and he was grateful. Eighty-odd pounds of excited dog took a lot of handling.

“How big are you gonna get, huh?” he huffed as the dog dragged him along. Venom wagged his tail, pulling him up a hill much faster than he would have preferred. He dug his heels in at the top, panting. “You’re gonna get me in great shape.”  
He got his first taste of why the shelter volunteers had been so nervy when they started out again. Someone passed too close, his coat brushing against Eddie’s leg, and Venom lunged for the pedestrian, all snarls and teeth.

“Whoa there big boy!” He hauled back on the leash. “Sorry about that!” he said to the startled man. “Getting him used to being out in the world.”

“Good luck with that!” 

He paid more attention to his surroundings after that, stepping into doorways or off the sidewalk into the street when other pedestrians approached.

Venom was obsessed with the gutters. 

“Smell something good, buddy?” A low woof answered, and then he recoiled, disgusted, as that tongue snaked out, sliding along the crack between the street and curb. “Oh, man, that’s disgusting.” A doggy grin came in response, and without warning Venom jumped up, paws hitting his chest. Eddie nearly dropped the leash, trying to keep that sewer-blessed tongue away from his face. “Knock it off! No! Down! Bad dog!”

The change was instantaneous. Sad eyes stared up at him as Venom dropped down to all fours and he whined.

“Aw, I didn’t mean it. You’re a good boy. Really you are.” 

That was a mistake. That led to another bounce and another pass of the tongue.

“Okay, let’s get you home.”

They made the rest of the walk mostly without incident, although by the time the got there Eddie’s arms ached from holding Venom back. The walk seemed to have tired Venom out, because as soon as Eddie closed the door behind him and took the leash off the dog made a beeline for his bed and flopped down across it, panting.

“Okay, gonna put out some water for you and then I gotta go back and get my bike. You’ll be okay while I’m gone. Be good now!”

An Uber ride took him back to the shelter. On the way home he stopped by a pet store. It took some doing, strapping an 80-pound bag of dog food down for the ride, but he managed. Staggering into the apartment under its weight, he didn’t notice the state of things until he set it down on the counter.

Venom lay where he’d been when Eddie had left, spread out on his bed, legs up in the air, tongue lolling out of the corner of his mouth, but he obviously hadn’t been there the entire time Eddie had been gone.

The kitchen garbage lay on its side, its contents strewn across the floor. The refrigerator stood open and the two leftover containers he’d planned on having for dinner that night were missing. In the detritus at his feet were a few shreds of the carcass of the rotisserie chicken he’d had for dinner a couple of nights ago.

“Well, shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All will be fine with Venom's innards, no worries!  
> [Helpful info for dogs that get into cooked bones:](http://www.dogingtonpost.com/help-my-dog-ate-chicken-bones-what-do-i-do/)  
> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going on an adventure! (going to the vet)

“Shit shit shit shit.”

Chicken bones and dogs were bad. He knew that. He kept swearing under his breath as he pawed through the folder of information they’d given him at the pound. There’d been some vet info in there, he remembered.

“There you are!”

They had a sheet with a list of names and phone numbers. Pulling his phone out, he stabbed his finger at the list and started dialing the number it landed on.

“Clean Slate Pet Care! How can we help you?”

“Um, hi, yeah, I just adopted this dog and he got into the garbage while I was out buying him food and he ate some chicken bones.” 

Venom rolled over and let out a giant belch.

“What kind of dog is he?”

“He’s a big mutt.”

At that, Venom rolled over and fixed him with a beady eye, a growl rumbling deep in his throat.

“Don’t look at me like that. That’s what you are!” Eddie shot back, forgetting for an instant that he was on the phone.

The woman on the other end of the line laughed.

“How long have you had this dog?”

“About three hours.”

“Well, it certainly sounds like you’ve got yourself a handful. Ingesting cooked bones may or may not be a problem. Are there any signs that he’s choking? You’ll need to monitor him for signs of abdominal discomfort over the next few days. Check for any blood in his stools, or any swelling in his stomach.”

“Okay. Yeah. I can do that.”

“Did you get our number from the information the shelter provided you with?”

“Yeah.”

“There should be a certificate in there for a free checkup. If you’d like to bring him in, we can include this in part of the exam.”

“That’d work.”

“Okay. What’s your dog’s name?”

“Venom.”

There was a pause, and he heard the woman clear her throat.

“Can you spell that please?”

Two days later, he loaded his disgustingly healthy giant puppy into a Lyft. 

“You better not ruin my rating,” he told the dog as the car was pulling up, and Venom grinned at him, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. 

Venom spent the entire ride with his head and shoulders out of the window. Eddie added a $10 tip to the fare as the driver turned into the parking lot.

“Sorry about the drool.”

There were two other people in the waiting room. An elderly lady sat against the wall, a prim little shih tzu sitting at her feet. The little puffball took one look at Venom and ducked under the bench, hiding behind her owner’s legs. The other occupant had a Corgi, who started wagging her non-existent tail as soon as they walked in the door.

“You want to say hi, Minnie?” 

Minnie did indeed want to say hi. Venom did not. At his growl, Minnie let out a frightened yip and skittered backwards, banging into her owner’s chair. The owner, a dignified looking older man, fixed Eddie with a disapproving glare.

“Um, sorry about that. He’s a rescue. Didn’t get socialized much, I guess? I’m trying to work on that, but it’s gonna take some time.”

At the word ‘rescue’, everyone’s faces brightened.

“Bless you for taking him on,” the older woman said. “He looks like ….” She trailed, staring at Venom, who’d flopped at Eddie’s feet and was now licking the floor.

“Yeah. You look like something, don’t you, boy?”

The other two dogs were called in first, leaving the two of them alone in the waiting room. Venom seemed to have come through his impromptu foraging session without harm, but the vet had recommended Eddie still bring him in.

When their names were called, he followed Eddie into the little exam room without any arguments, and immediately began to explore.

“Can you please not lick everything?” Eddie asked him after he’d thoroughly tasted the corner under the exam table.

This was good. Everything would be fine. They’d get the checkup and head on home, and maybe take a walk down to the piers this afternoon. He’d buy them each something tasty and they’d kill some time watching the tourists. Yeah. Having a dog was good.

And then the vet came in.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you want to say hi, [check out my profile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/profile) for where I’m currently hanging out on this here internet thing.


End file.
